Russia Accuses U.S. of Meddling in Its Elections

Share this:

Russia said a US Treasury report that could extend sanctions against Moscow for meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections is “a direct and obvious attempt” to interfere in its own upcoming presidential vote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with top officials from the Federation Council and the State Duma at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 25, 2017. (Credit: ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

By the end of Monday, the Treasury must send Congress a list of rich Russian business figures and detail their ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We do think that this is a direct and obvious attempt to time some sort of action to coincide with our elections in order to influence them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on a telephone conference call Monday. “We disagree with this, and we are sure this will have no influence.”

Peskov said he did not think Navalny was a threat to Putin’s power. “Putin’s popularity reaches far beyond Russian borders and I don’t think anyone can doubt the fact that Putin is an absolute leader in the way he is perceived by the public and an absolute leader of the political Olympus,” he said.

“It’s unlikely that at this stage there is someone who is serious competition. Putin proved his undeniable leadership on multiple occasions and continues to do that,” Peskov added.

Navalny, the best-known opposition figure in Russia, has been barred from running by Russia’s electoral commission as he has a conviction for embezzlement, a charge that critics say is politically motivated.